Vegas - The World’s Wedding Capital

Ancestry.co.uk has today released online 9.7 million names of women and men who have been married in the state of Nevada since 1956. The Nevada Marriage and Divorce Records reveals the weird and wonderful nature of nuptials in the marriage capital of the world where a couple is married every three minutes… and usually in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas became the destination for ‘quickie weddings’ in the US during the 1920s and has become the most popular destination for weddings in the world, with Valentine’s Day being the most popular wedding date.

The number of weddings taking place on the average Valentine’s Day is 4.5 times more than on an average day, with a couple marrying every forty seconds. 14th February 2004 was the most popular wedding day in Nevada history, with more than 2,000 weddings taking place that day - almost 131 per hour. The marriage rate in Nevada is 62 couples per 1000 in the population, over thirteen times the UK average. More ‘Roberts’ and ‘Marys’ get hitched in Nevada than any other couple

Las Vegas is of course a popular wedding spot with the famous – and infamous – with many celebrities taking advantage of the immediate access to wedding licenses and twenty-four hour chapels.

But it isn’t just celebrities getting married in Las Vegas. Following the example set by local celebrities such as Joan Collins, Dudley Moore, Noel Gallagher and Meg Matthews, and Billie Piper and Chris Evans, around a quarter of Brits go abroad to tie the knot each year, with Las Vegas being the fourth most popular foreign destination for those seeking a foreign wedding experience.

Managing Director of Ancestry.co.uk Simon Harper comments: “These records give us a real insight into the crazy and romantic experience of getting married in Las Vegas. The sheer numbers of weddings that take place each year, and the way couples like Britney and Jason file for divorce almost as soon as they’re married, demonstrate that there really isn’t anywhere else like it.

“If you are considering getting hitched in the world’s marriage capital, find out more by logging on to Ancestry.co.uk this Valentine’s Day and discover the long list of people, including many celebrities, who have married and divorced in Las Vegas.”

Siobhan Craven-Robins, wedding expert for GMTV and AOL and wedding planner for stars including Joan Collins and Barbara Windsor, comments: “Las Vegas offers British couples the kind of glamour and fun that is often hard to find in the UK. The real appeal of Vegas is the spontaneity and intimacy that the experience offers – it’s all about the couple, there in moment, deciding to take the plunge in one of the most exciting and unreal places on earth.”

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Ancestry.co.uk is offering free access to the Nevada Marriage and Divorce Records until the end of February.